A Florida Nonprofit 501(c)3 tax Exempt Organization


West Nassau Historical Society - West Nassau Museum of History



Located Inside the Historic Train Depot at 45383 Dixie Avenue, Callahan
Mail to P.O. Box 1758, Callahan, FL 32011  (904 879-3406)
Upcoming Events

February 14th.       Valentine's Day.
February 16th - 18th.   Largo Steamers Meet
February 23rd       Board & Gen. Membership, 6 PM Board, 7 PM general membership -
Speaker John Hendricks on Daniel Callahan book..
February 25   Yard Sale at the Depot.
March 14th     Farmer's Market - 9am - 1pm.
March 15th     Board & Gen. Membership, 6 PM Board, 7 PM general membership -
  Because of the upcoming Railroad Days Fest, the March general meeting                                                      will be the 3rd Thursday of the month.
March 23rd - 24th      Railroad Days Festival             


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Abner McGehee
Special Events
Yard Sales - Yard sales occur about every 6 to 8 weeks during the Spring and Fall on the front lawn of the historic Callahan Depot. They run from 8am  to 1pm.  Miscellaneous items and clothes are donated by Historical Society members and local businesses to help raise funds for the upkeep and maintenance of the 1881 Victorian style train station and the fostering of our County's rich and diverse history.

Christmas Open House -

History Tours - Several times a year tours are conducted to different sections of west Nassau County. One of the tours begins at Hilliard and includes Kings Ferry and Boulogne. Another covers Bryceville and the southwest section of the county. Another is the general area around Callahan.

Annual Railroad Days Festival - The society's major fundraiser of the year is the Railroad Days Festival that usually occurs in March or April. It celebrates the railroad as the cartylist of west Nassau's growth. David Yulee was the founder of the Florida Railroad which began at Fernandina in 1853, was finished through Callahan by 1856 and completed at Cedar Key by 1861.
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This page was last updated: February 13, 2012

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Hilliard Library Exhibit
2012


The West Nassau Historical Society recently updated its display inside the Hilliard Branch of the Nassau County Library.  Rosemary Sczcygiel, Branch Manager, has allowed the Historical Society to exhibit part of its collection at her state of the art facility, the newest library in the county.  Last year each shelf showcased a different community of Northwest Nassau County: Hilliard, Boulogne and Kings Ferry. The new themes now on exhibit this year are: Turpentine Industry, Hillliard businesses and 100 years of the Hilliard Schoolhouse.
Historical Society Hosted the ACL/SCL Historical Society
February 10, 2012
A field trip for members of the ACL/SCL Historical Society brought the group to west Nassau and the Callahan depot. As a part of their annual convention in Jacksonville, 48 members began the day touring railroad related facilities beginning at Brunswick, were bused to railway facilities at Waycross, then came south, arriving at the Callahan depot about 4:30 pm. 
They were given a 10 minute talk on the history of the museum and railroads that have crossed our county. The guests then roamed through the freight room and clerks office (archive room) taking a lot of interest in the exhibits, asking lots of questions and dropping lots of compliments on the society's efforts.

The annex was set up ahead of time with maps and photographs that brought lots of questions and more compliments.
The caboose was open and drew a lot of attention.




With the tour scheduled time up, they made their way back to the bus and where off to Jacksonville.

Nice tour and good folks.
There was a lot of interest in the old maps of Callahan and how the ACL tracks originally came into town. Above, John shows the route and how the tracks came down what is now White Street and made a hard right turn, crossed the old Florida Railroad tracks to parallel today's Brandies and Dixie Avenues.
Some brought their grandchildren and wives.